By GCN Staff

Network forensics enhances Army NIE

At the latest Network Integration Evaluation (NIE), a Defense Department field evaluation of new technologies, the U.S. Army Electronic Proving Ground (USAEPG) provided a network forensics team that made a positive impact on network troubleshooting, reliability and network protection, the Army reported.

According to Ed D. Watt, an Army civilian and project engineer with USAEPG, network forensics offers network operators and systems administrators the ability to monitor network traffic and data in real time. This helps IT professionals establish a baseline normal network, and identify network issues quickly, like improperly configured or failing equipment and unauthorized use.

Network forensics, though relatively new, is increasingly becoming the tool of choice on civilian and corporate networks, offering not only network tuning, but intrusion detection, the Army said. Considered a proactive network protection, it allows network operators to identify unusual network traffic and respond to compromised systems well ahead of more traditional means of detection, like antivirus.

"When you start cleaning up the small things, the network gets better, data goes faster, all of a sudden, it's a force multiplier," Watt said, referring to the value of an efficient network for military operations.

The network forensics team provided support to all NIE participants, in essence creating a help desk-like support element for the event. Participants also asked the network forensics team for assistance in characterizing or optimizing their respective network, whether carrying data or voice, at the tactical or operational levels. The team responded to nearly 100 requests for assistance, all with successful outcomes.